Jonathan from VIN Wine Merchants in Emsworth looks at these world-famous brandy regions.
When we talk about brandy we mainly think of the Cognac and Armagnac and these two regions in France produce some of the best and sought after brandies in the world. Brandy can be made all over the world, but Cognac and Armagnac are named after the region the grapes are grown in, much like Champagne.
Cognac AOC is around 86000 hectares and is made up of smaller regions within the AOC. These include Grande Champagne, Petit Champagne, Fins Bois, Borderies, Bois Ordinaires and Bons Bois. The region is situated in the south-west of France in the Charente Maritime region north of Bordeaux and stretches from the River Charente all the way to the Atlantic coast. Made from several grape varieties which include Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanch, Montils and Folignan, its distilled twice and aged in French oak. Most producers blend a small amount of older cognacs with the younger ones so you rarely get vintage cognac. A few years ago, I was travelling in the region and was given a sparkling cognac to try. It was fantastic but sadly it’s not common and only produced for local consumption by local producers. Because of the double distillation and oak ageing Cognac typically has a softer and elegant character and some can be quite nutty.
Armagnac is a region south of Bordeaux in the Gascony area and believed to be the oldest brandy in France dating back to the early 1400’s and predates Cognac by around 200 years. The key difference to Cognac is the production and ageing method. Its distilled only once which adds a more robust character with other characters such as earthy tones, oak and dark fruit. Made from the same grapes as Cognac it can be split into two categories, Vintage (from grapes grown in a single year) and non-vintage (blend of different years). Like Cognac, the difference in age is identified from these specific terms.
VS (Very Special) is the minimum amount of ageing in wood typically two years.
VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) is at least four years ageing in wood.
XO (Extra Old) is more than six years
Hors D’age is ten plus years ageing.
You should also try Pineau de Charentes which is grape juice blended with Cognac and Floc which is the equivalent produced in Armagnac. Both have a fantastic rich smooth, sweet character and make a wonderful alternative to dessert wine. Both available at VIN.
I tend to work with two amazing producers:
Jules Gautret VS Cognac - £35.99
Smooth and elegant with hints of vanilla and tropical fruit.
Sempe VS Armagnac - £31.99
Richer in style with more robust characters and an earthy finish.
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